Serendipity
by makorrashenanigans
Summary: AU. Bolin never survived past childhood, causing Mako to turn to the influences of the Triple Threat Triad. A few years pass and Lightning Bolt Zolt introduces a talented young waterbender named Korra. She grows alongside Mako in the life of crime, but when her identity as the Avatar is revealed, she must choose between the good life and the life that she has grown up with.
1. Humanity

**Serendipity**

Hey guys! After watching the season finale of Legend of Korra, I realized that the next season probably won't premiere until 2013. So, I decided to write a story to keep me satisfied until then lol. I wrote this earlier today and I haven't really read over it, so I'm not sure if it's boring or not haha. But anyways, enjoy!

Yes, this is a romance story ;)

* * *

Prologue

Humanity: the quality or condition of being human; human nature.

_"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity, nothing exceeds the criticisms made of the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed"_ ~Herman Melville

* * *

"Sir, could you please spare some bread?" a young boy pleaded as he bent down on his knees, begging to a stranger. "My brother is sick and he needs something to eat."

The man who was garbed in silk robes threw a look of condescension to the beggar before turning his head the other way. "Your brother would not be sick if he did not eat garbage," he had the nerve to say. "Now go on, shoo!"

The boy's fists clenched at his sides, knowing that the man was right. But they were just children without parents, they had no means of acquiring food better than the occasional rolls of bread they found in trash cans. "Please, Sir, I've searched every place I know, and I found not a single loaf of bread for me and my brother. Please," the child implored, his golden eyes glistening with tears.

It was unknown to the man that the young boy was a firebender and could have easily taken his money. However, unlike the majority of street kids broken down by desperation, the child still held some morals. He would not use his firebending to oppress normal folks, even the ones as wicked as the man in front of him.

"I won't warn you again! Get out of my sight before I call those officers over here," threatened the selfish individual. "Where is my ginger tea?" he called impatiently to the young lady cleaning a table.

"It will be coming soon, Sir," she answered meekly, glancing at the young boy who was making his way out of the teashop. She rushed into the kitchen, the man sitting at his table gratified in thinking that he'd made another servant of the employee, when actually, she had gone to get the boy a one day old loaf of bread.

As the boy's hand touched the door, the hand of the gentle lady had touched his shoulder, a soft smile curving her lips. "It's one day old and has been sitting on the counter, but this is all that I can rid of." She pushed the loaf into the boy's stunned hands, ruffling his hair before returning to the kitchen to fetch the older man his tea.

"T-thank you," the boy called. He ran out of the teashop, cradling the loaf in his arms as if it were an infant. "Thank you, kind lady!"

~:*:~

A boy crawled hurriedly into his cardboard dwelling that he had made with his younger brother. It wasn't anything fancy, just enough to shield them from the occasional rainstorms, like the one that was currently taking place.

"Bo," he said breathlessly, shaking the small body that lay sleeping beneath a blanket, "I brought back some bread."

The pile of covers stirred as the older boy unwrapped the loaf that would be the main entrée of their dinner. He raised a hand over the bread, heat emanating from his fingertips as he warmed it slowly to hide its staleness.

A small boy rose from the blankets, his eyes encircled with sleep before he raised tiny hands to rub the small grains of sand away from his face. "Mako, you're here. I was scared you weren't coming back."

A few days ago, another boy had gotten sick and his older brother had left him. Just like that. With no goodbye or explanation or even a reason for leaving his own flesh and blood behind to die. Poor Bolin was scared that his brother might have done the same.

The older boy frowned, "Why wouldn't I come back for you, Bo? You're my brother and brother's gotta stick together, right?" He reached over and tousled his younger sibling's scruffy hair, giving him a soft smile before pulling the loaf apart, handing his brother the bigger piece.

"Yeah," Bolin said, smiling a toothy grin, "brothers gotta stick together."

If only bread, water, and love were the only things needed to sustain human life, than maybe Bolin would have survived past the age of six. But in the dead of night, when he and his brother were curled together on the cold ground, when their arms were wrapped around each other in an attempt to keep warm, Bolin suffered from a fit of coughs and seizures, leading to his untimely death. Pneumonia was common in the part of the city the brothers lived in due to the frequent rainfalls. And because they had no parents to tell them to bundle up and change their clothes if they got wet, many kids ended up dying from it.

Tonight, it took Bolin's life and Mako's mournful yell of his brother's name woke every homeless child within a mile radius, and each child who heard it took a few seconds to murmur a quick prayer for the deceased, because they knew all too well the difficulties of the real world. Some were lucky and picked up by people who saw them pillaging through trash cans, others died of being starved of both food and privilege, and the other half thrived by linking themselves with a group of people who promised to give them everything they never had . . .

~:*:~

_2 years later . . . _

A boy of eight years sat sprawled on a wooden bench, staring at the dwindling sign that hung above the entrance of a familiar teashop. He wore ripped, faded denim jeans along with his plain white t-shirt, accentuating his striking gold eyes that glinted against the rays of the sun. His uncombed dark hair blew freely in the wind as he raised his red scarf over his nose, inhaling deeply.

"It's time," called another boy, whose dirty waterbending techniques earned him the nickname "Shady" Shin. "Let's go, Mako."

A young earthbender was squatted on the roof of the teashop, giving the OK before the other two boys approached the entrance. Without warning, a whip formed entirely of water struck in front of them, breaking the glass door of the shop. Startled customers rose from their chairs, shattering the potteries that were previously overflowing with various soups and teas.

The three benders waited for the shop to empty out before commencing their pilfering and they reached into their back pockets, pulling out black trash bags to put their stolen goods into.

Mako was intent on picking up the most expensive items when the earthbender had said, "Shin, someone's hiding behind the counter."

When Mako raised his head again, Shin and the earthbender were circling a young woman in her early 20s, her green eyes wide with fear. The other two benders were so caught up in their impish desires that they failed to notice the small bump on her stomach that indicated life. They didn't care to think that maybe her husband was hard at work in one of the city's power plants while she spent her days working here only to come home to barely make ends meat. They didn't care to think that, in many ways, she was just like them.

Shin formed another water whip and ordered the girl on her knees. And if it weren't for the kind deed that the woman had done for Mako when he was younger, then he wouldn't have had a reason to intervene. Everything that Shin was doing was just the standard treatment for anyone they found hiding. Show no mercy. That was the rule the Triple Threat Triad kids had to abide by.

But it was this same woman who crossed paths with the firebender two years ago and showed Mako that even in hard times, humanity still existed in some people. She had given him bread when he and his brother had been starving, even though she had been strictly instructed not to feed any beggars that came into the shop.

Mako figured that if she could break a rule for a complete stranger, then he could too. He ordered Shin to drop the whip and, because he was the leader of this particular triad, the waterbender obliged and left the woman to continue his job.

Mako helped the woman to her feet, though didn't say a word as she was thanking him profusely. His head was turned the other way. His gold eyes staring at the floor, afraid of looking into the face of a kind and good-natured woman. He was worried that if he did, then he would only be further reminded of his dead brother. The one who had been neglected by authorities, bullied by strangers on the street who considered themselves better than a beggar—and the one who had died silently in the middle of the night with nothing to call his own in the cruel world he had lived in.

~:*:~

A month passed after Mako's brush with humanity and it was that particular event that now caused him to be completely engrossed in the life of crime. The scoundrels involved in other gangs already knew of Mako, and made sure not to get in his way when he was "running an errand". He was highly coveted in the gang world. So much so that the leader of the Agni Kai had challenged Lightning Bolt Zolt's proprietorship of the young lad.

This didn't go to Mako's head and it only made him more focused. He had been with the Triple Threat Triad since Bolin's death and was first drawn in when he heard a group of benders playing near his cardboard home. And it was not the laughter that caused the boy to come out of his box, but the words that he had heard them say to each other.

"_Brother's gotta stick together." _

~:*:~

A few more months passed until the day that Lightning Bolt Zolt called on a gathering and arrived with a small girl in his arms. Her face was hidden in Zolt's neck, and from the crowd view it looked like she was trembling. She was clad in an ensemble of traditional Water Tribe clothes, so it was assumed that she came from a poor family if they could not even afford to dress their child in more modern clothing.

"I found this girl in a river this afternoon," he began, "but it turned out that she was not the one in need of help. She was fishing, using waterbending skills beyond her years. When I approached her, she told me that Gommu, the man who had previously taken care of her, had not come back for days and that she was hungry."

He continued on with his speech while Mako carelessly flipped a flame lighter on and off with his thumb. He was required to carry one with him at all times, since he could not yet form full flames without its assistance.

"It's common that we put new members into the lowest unit, but young Korra here has shown me great potential. She will start in unit Omega and will work her way up to unit Alpha." He paused, his eyes scanning the crowd for the Triad's most loyal member. "Mako, you will be in charge of showing Korra around and making her comfortable."

Having a six-year-old girl following him around wasn't exactly what Mako wanted. Though he was quiet, the boy was known for having a temper. And taking care of little girls was not his forte.

He was rather lucky that Korra wasn't like most girls her age. She didn't cry and rarely whined and nagged him for things. The only two things he found out she was scared of was thunder and tight spaces, which were ironically what Mako had grown up with. They got along smoothly as long as she minded her own business and let him mind his.

But on occasions like tonight, when it rained and Korra didn't have anyone else to comfort her, she slipped into Mako's room and curled up at the foot of his bed. She did it so often that Mako began expecting her every time it rained. But tonight was different.

"Mako," she whispered, jumping at another frightening boom of thunder, "are you asleep?" She tugged on his sleeve as she looked around the dark room. "Mako, please. I'm scared."

He was about to tell her to leave because he'd had a long day, but when he turned around in his bed to face her and saw her big blue eyes wet with tears, he was reminded of Bolin. If he were still alive, he would have been seven-years-old today. "C'mere," he said, holding out his arms to the small girl.

Korra walked into his embrace and let him lift her up until she was beside him, sitting on his bed. She watched him as he reached underneath his pillow to pull out a bright red scarf. She'd always seen him wearing it and knew that he didn't let anyone touch it. So she was shocked when he began wrapping the soft fabric around her neck.

Mako smiled at her softly and touched her chubby cheek. "You can sleep with me tonight, but no more pouting. Okay, Korra?"

She launched herself at the boy, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Mako."

The firebender blushed before laying on his back, the small girl fisting her hands around his shirt and cuddling into the warmth of his chest. Before long, her breathing evened out as she fell asleep in the arms of her protector.

And it was rare moments like this when Mako was reminded that he was still human.

* * *

Yeah, so basically the only thing this chapter achieved was explaining Mako's background. Was it boring? :/ The next chapter will start with Mako and Korra in their teen years. Please keep in mind, that this is an AU, which most likely means that the characters will be somewhat OOC, because of their backgrounds. But I'll try my best to keep them as in character as possible :D

Anyways, do you guys like this idea? Mako and Korra growing up together in a life of petty theft and crime? I just love the idea of a stone-hearted Mako falling slowly for Korra XD

And if anyone needs some refreshers, the Triple Threat Triad is essentially a gang that consists of all bender types (excluding airbenders). While the Agni Kai consists only of firebenders and the Red Monsoon consists only of waterbenders.

I'll do my best to make this story as interesting as possible (hopefully) with my limited knowledge of gangs haha.

Is this a story worth continuing? Yes, No, Maybe So?

If I get **15+ reviews**, I'll update this soon. For my **"Heartbreaker, Playmaker" **readers, I'm kind of stumped for that story right now, I have the chapter planned, but I'm having a hard time starting it lol.

Have a great summer guys!


	2. Eternity

Serendipity

Hey guys, so, like I promised, I'm giving this story another shot. After this chapter, I'll decide from here if it should be continued. But here it is! Hope you like it :)

Please keep in mind that these are snippets of Korra and Mako's time together. It won't be too detailed, but should give a general feel of their relationship.

**Mako is two years older than Korra in my story. **And the first age italics is Mako and the latter is Korra's.

* * *

Chapter One

Eternity: infinite or unending time; timelessness

_"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world, remains and is immortal" _~Albert Pike

* * *

_Eight and Six_

Being with Korra was difficult for Mako. She was all over the place _all the time_. Sometimes Mako wondered if things would be easier if he just put a leash around her neck.

But dealing with her high energy wasn't the difficult part.

It was her tendency to be overly affectionate. Korra was like a newly hatched duckling that imprinted on Mako, following him around everywhere he went. His peers teased him often because of her, but during the night, when the two were all alone in the dark, she would kiss his cheek and whisper how thankful she was for him. And that would make everything okay again.

~:*:~

_Ten and Eight_

Mako arrived at the abandoned warehouse only to be told that Korra had gone out to look for him. Officers had held him up before he made a clean last minute getaway with the help of his partner.

At the news, Mako shoved Shady Shin into the nearest wall, his fist ready to beat the boy he had trusted to watch over Korra. The boys around them watched with widened eyes. They weren't supposed to hit other boys in the group.

"Why did you let her go?" Mako shouted, fighting to keep his temper leveled.

"I didn't," was the waterbender's trembling reply. "She said she needed to find you."

Worry filled Mako's expression as he dropped Shady Shin by the collar and ran out of the warehouse in search of the little girl who had come to mean the world to him. He had never run faster than that day, pushing everyone who got in his way, wiping drops of both rain and tears from his eyes.

When he'd found her sitting by the dock, pure elation washed over his features. He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy.

His heart was hammering wildly in his chest as he surged forward to wrap Korra in his arms once again. He was crying into her neck when she'd told him how breathless he was. And he was smiling against her warm skin, hugging her tighter, when he'd realized that he couldn't breathe without her.

~:*:~

_Twelve and Ten_

A few days before Korra's tenth birthday, Mako had taken her to a petting zoo after she'd constantly pestered him about seeing a Tiger Seal. While she was hopping all over the place with pure excitement, he was pinching the bridge of his nose, repeatedly reminding himself that it was her birthday in a few days and that he needed to be nice . . . no matter how smelly the animals were.

He almost burned the place down when a boarcupine waddled in front of him and left a _huge _present by his feet. His patience dwindled, hating being surrounded by little kids who were laughing happily with their parents.

Before he knew it, Korra was nowhere in sight and he had that feeling in his chest again.

"Mako!" he heard her yell. The firebender swiveled around and he ran to her voice, praying to the Spirits that nothing bad had happened to her.

When he found her, she was kneeling on the ground with a small, white puppy in her hands. "It's a polar bear dog!" she stated cheerfully. "They have these in the South Pole, Mako!"

But he was so angry with her then that he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out of the petting zoo, yelling at her the entire way back home. When they got to the warehouse, he'd noticed the dried tears on her cheeks, but he didn't say anything—didn't apologize.

On the day of Korra's birthday, Mako found her on the floor of their room, staring out the window. He could see her reflection on the glass and knew immediately that she had been crying again. It saddened him to see her cry. He didn't think it was a good look for her.

"Korra," he said from the doorway.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeves before turning to face him. "I wiped the floors like you asked me to, Mako. I did everything you asked . . . so please stop being angry. I said I was sorry," she whimpered, running into his arms.

"Wait here," he ordered, peeling her small body off of his own.

Thinking that her apology had not been accepted and that he was still angry, Korra burst into tears as she sank to the floor. Seconds later, the door opened again, and a small puppy ran into the room. It barked at Korra briefly before it resorted to chewing on her boots. In no time, giggles filled the room, and Mako, who was watching quietly from the doorway, believed that no other sound could compare to it.

~:*:~

_Fourteen and Twelve_

Now just because Mako had practically raised Korra, it didn't mean that he loved her. He'd only known love so briefly that he was sure there was no way he could possibly love Korra.

Later that week, some cops had beaten him so badly that his face was barely recognizable. He avoided everyone for days, covering his face with all sorts of things, from his scarf to paper bags. This of course, annoyed Korra since she'd constantly told him that she wouldn't care what he looked like. She was so infuriated, that one day, she ripped the brown paper bag from his head and forced him to look at her.

She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, and Mako looked away, ashamed of his appearance. She had then closed the door to their room and got Mako to sit on their bed with her. Pulling water from the basin underneath them, she then brought it to his face and watched as the water glowed brightly, healing his cuts and bruises.

"I'm only doing this because you won't even look at me anymore," she told him softly. "But I could care less what you look like, Mako."

He grabbed her hand when she got to the scar right above his eye. "Leave it," he said briskly, trusting in her confession.

Korra smiled, "Here, let me do it on the other one so it doesn't look too weird. It might sting a little," she warned. She waited for his nod of approval before quickly slicing his face right above his other eye with the precision of her waterbending. She cleaned the blood with water before closing up the wound, leaving a scar on his right eyebrow that matched the one on his left.

And Mako had been left dumbstruck when she had kissed the scar before quietly continuing to heal the rest of his body.

He didn't remember what love felt like, but he was sure that whatever he felt for Korra was pretty close.

~:*:~

_Sixteen and Fourteen_

It happened on a Tuesday evening when Mako was out late on a supply run, leaving Korra alone in their room. He had told her that he would be out past her curfew and that she shouldn't wait out for him. Of course, Korra _did _wait for him, but soon exhaustion got the better of her and she was falling asleep.

Kai, a waterbender who was four years older than Korra, snuck into the unlocked room and closed the door behind him. He took in the sight of the young brunette sleeping on the bed, before running his fingers down her arm, dragging it past her torso all the way to her bare thighs. She moaned Mako's name in her sleep, thinking that he'd come to say goodnight, but when her eyes fluttered open and she didn't see Mako's golden eyes staring back at her, she screamed.

The male waterbender covered her mouth as he climbed on top of her, his jean clad knees roughly pushing her legs apart. Korra screamed into his hand, tears streaming down her cheeks, but he ignored them and continued his assault on her body, not caring enough to think of the consequences.

And when the door flew open and an angry firebender stood on the other side, Kai soon regretted his futile impulse.

Blasts of fire were thrown in his direction and he countered them all with water that he pulled from a basin. Due to having two years of training over Mako, Kai's moves were faster and his bending more powerful. He got a few good hits at Mako before other boys overheard their fight and prevented him from doing any more harm to the fallen bender.

Mako yelled at everyone to get out of the room, his shoulders quivering as he pushed himself off the ground, stumbling over to the bed and pulling Korra into a hug. He let her cry into his chest until she ran out of tears, hiccupping softly as they sat in silence.

~:*:~

_Eighteen and Sixteen _

On Mako's eighteenth birthday, he was brought down by a little metal bullet. It pierced straight through his chest and his vision was dimming. He wondered if Bolin saw the same things he did right before he died. He was ready to leave the world and join his brother when a voice called to him in his darkness.

"_Mako," _he could hear someone crying,_ "don't do this to me. You can't leave me yet. You promised me! You promised me dammit! Don't give up. Please."_

With his remaining energy, he forced his eyes to open and he blinked up at the woman who held his head on her lap. He had made a promise to her a few years ago, when she was still a little girl, telling her that he'd always be there to protect her—that even though he no longer had a brother to live for, he would live for her.

"_You said you would stay with me—"_

"For an eternity," he breathed, finishing her sentence and giving her one last smile before slipping into long awaited darkness . . .

* * *

So I ended it here because I thought it was a perfect place to stop.

If I were to discontinue this story, it could just end here with Mako dying. But if the story were continued, the next chapter would resume from where it left off and Korra's identity as the Avatar would be revealed when she bends with a different element, or something like that, and then the action starts blah blah blah lol.

So what do you guys think?

Should I continue or just leave it off with Mako dying in Korra's arms?


	3. Integrity

**Serendipity**

Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while, I was still deciding if I should continue this story. Actually, I'm still deciding. But anyways, the muse hit. So here I am with another chapter.

Please note that for this chapter I changed up my writing style, uhm, yeah, so I don't know if you guys will like it :/ It's more "poetic-y" and there's a lot of repetition and stuff, but yeah. This also means I also underused or overused my commas (hehe sorry). It's also fast paced and—I dunno, it just sounds different XD

Information you need to know for this chapter and the rest of the story: Republic City is very much like 1920s New York in the show, so THIS STORY TAKES PLACE IN THE 1920s. (P.S. The 1920s was awesome) So Air Temple Island is sort of like, Long Island or something? You know what? I don't know what I'm talking about. But just imagine Air Temple Island as not only a place for Tenzin and Co. but it's also going to be where all the rich people live, okay? OK. Cool. You guys are awesome.

* * *

Chapter Two

Integrity: the state of being complete; honesty; moral soundness

_"Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you"_ ~H. Jackson Brown Jr.

* * *

_Before Mako fully slips into darkness, he hears a pained, broken whisper. From what he is able to make out, he knows that it's Korra. And he wants to tell her to run—leave him behind and save herself, because he's not worth it. He's not worth saving if her life is the price. _

_His head is cradled to her chest; he knows, because her heart pounds loudly when rough voices approach them. They are shouting, and Mako knows she is scared. As tough as Korra is, her heart is her weakness. And he knows how much it terrifies her to be holding his dying body in her arms, faced with the choices of futilely protecting them or leaving him behind. _

_He can feel her body trembling as she holds him tighter, whispering something again, but he can't quite hear it over the pelting rain. Her warm breath glides over his body and warms him, if only for a moment, as she finally exhales. Mako doesn't know what's happening, but he wishes that he could save her one last time._

News of the long lost Avatar spread across the Four Nations like wildfire. Every radio station talked about her, her name integrated in every conversation.

_Avatar Korra. _

Orphaned at the fledgling age of six, growing up in the crime-infested streets of Republic City and struggling to survive when she should have grown up in a different lifestyle. Her implied hardships and warm but quirky nature easily won her the heart of Republic City. No one could ever forget the first picture they saw of their Avatar—her tear stained cheeks, her bloodied hands. She was being carried in the arms of Councilman Tarrlok. Her eyes gaze in only one direction, and that was at the unconscious man who was being carried next to her.

_Mako._

That was the first word she had said in front of the invading cameras, in front of the entire nation.

His name became almost as famous as hers. Little girls would fabricate stories about Avatar Korra and this Mako guy. No one saw him as the dangerous triad member, no one remembered his past, no one . . . except Korra, himself, and Tarrlok.

_A satomobile passes by the scene where crowds have gathered. The man in the backseat tells the driver to stop, and he steps out of the vehicle, his elk shoes splashing in puddles of rainwater as he approaches the sea of people. They acknowledge him as a councilman and part at his advent. _

_When he's made it to the center, his cerulean eyes widen. He's been looking in the wrong direction all this time, because suspended a few feet above the ground is a young water tribe girl—the missing Avatar. Her previously glowing eyes dim and return to their natural blue and she falls. There's a slight hesitation in the man before he steps forward and catches the girl in his arms. He does this before anyone else can. He hears the murmurs of the people but ignores them and examines the girl's face. It's dirty and unwashed, despite her naked beauty, and as his gaze lowers, he notices that her clothes are faded and tattered. But something in particular catches his eye. On the inside of her wrist is a tattoo, the mark of the Triple Threat Triads. _

At night, Korra noticed that Mako would slip out of bed and would head straight to the shower, when he returned hours later. In the morning, new bruises and red markings would appear on his skin, and Korra decided that enough was enough.

So she followed him one night and found herself in an underground fight ring.

The Black Phoenix, she found out, was his ring name. _So this was where he was getting all the extra cash. _

Throughout the match, she pulled and twisted her hair braids, eyes widening, teeth grinding. With every punch and kick of fire, she grew closer to the edge of her seat, forgetting why she'd come there in the first place. When the warning bell sounded, everyone got on their feet to see who would win the match. A punch here, a kick there, and then . . .

_Lightning_.

A stream of bright blue light shot from Mako's middle and index fingers, hitting his opponent square in the chest. The crowd roared and got to their feet, cheering and chanting his name because he's so strong, so invulnerable.

_He's helpless and weak and vulnerable as he's lying on the bed. The Healers have done everything they could possibly do to help him, but he doesn't wake. Instead, he lies. He lies still on the bed. Quiet. Motionless. _

_And there's a girl at his side that refuses to leave him. _

_Not until he wakes up, she says. _

_She's tired of waiting, everyone knows. Everyone can see. But they don't say anything because it's her only request. She wants to be alone with him. She wants to be the first thing he sees when he wakes up. She's confident that he'll wake up. _

_She speaks to him while he sleeps, soft whispers telling him all her fears and secrets that he's always wanted to know. But he doesn't hear them. He doesn't hear her._

_But he _feels_ her._

_He feels her fixing his pillows. Her warm hands touching him as she changes his clothes. Her soft lips as she kisses his forehead. Her hair as it tickles his neck. _

_When he has his first fit of seizures a few days later, he can feel her hand squeezing his and then a bolt of electricity courses through his body. Multiple hands are holding him down now and then another bolt and then nothing. He can't feel anything. He's lost himself in darkness again, yet he can't help the feeling of content._

_And then he hears it again. The same pained, broken whisper he had heard when he'd gotten shot. But this time her words are much clearer._

"_Mako, I love you." _

"We shouldn't be sharing a bed," Mako told her.

They were currently in the middle of a sparring match, water versus fire, and he was winning. So it seemed odd to Korra that he chose this moment to bring it up. Her eyebrows knitted together and blue eyes looked at him strangely. "We've been sleeping on the same bed for as long as I can remember," she stated nonchalantly, and then with a smirk added, "Even when I went through puberty." She blushed and looked away briefly, remembering the first time she'd gotten her period and had thought that she was bleeding to death. She couldn't forget the look of relief on Mako's face when one of the female triad members told them that it was natural. That was the first time she saw any kind of emotion from him.

Mako's eyes hardened as he scanned her movements. "Well we should have stopped a long time ago."

"It's not like we're doing anything wrong," Korra argued, blushing a deeper shade of pink. She jumped back when Mako lashed flames in her direction before extinguishing it with water in the air. They continued to circle each other before Korra spoke again. "Besides, I like having you beside me." The firebender let the fire in his hands die, turning his head because he didn't want to hear her next words—the ones that always broke down his resolve no matter how upset or angry he was at her. "I feel safe with you." She hadn't the slightest clue of the poignancy of her words. It was all so innocent to her. Uttering those words to him when in fact, his heart clenched every time she said them.

Later that night, after his scheduled match at the ring, he found Korra fast asleep on their bed. His amber eyes traveled from her long slender legs all the way up her face that looked so peaceful, so at ease. He never removed his gaze from her as he went to sit on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes. She had changed so much within the decade that he had known her. What was once a short, chubby little girl was now a tall, beautiful young woman.

His breath hitched in his throat when she sighed and shifted to her side, mumbling something under her breath. He exhaled in relief when he'd realized that she was still fast asleep. How long would she hold it against him if she knew that he'd been watching her?

But when he glanced at her again, something caught his eye. Something old and tattered, yet still bright red in color. It was strewn around Korra's arms, like a snake spiraled around a tree, and it was almost like watching a mother with her child because for some reason, it left Mako in complete awe. And then he'd thought about what she'd said to him earlier, about him making her feel safe. He hadn't really been sure if he knew what safe felt like, but seeing Korra with every stress and melancholy wiped from her face, gripping his scarf tightly to her chest, it dawned on him that maybe he did know.

Maybe he'd known all along.

_Her blue eyes are the first thing he sees when he wakes up. It's the color of the ocean, and he realizes just how much it suits her, because this isn't the first time he's drowned in her gaze. _

_But then, her words— "Mako, I love you" —echo in his head, and the small smile that he has on his face vanishes. _

_He doesn't ever mention that he heard her confession . . . _

_And that he doesn't feel the same way._

"So have you found an escort for the dinner tonight?" Tarrlok asked. He watched the young water tribe girl and leaned against the doorframe to Korra and Mako's room, which was questionably left closed most of the time.

Korra groaned and threw her face in her palm. "Is the dinner optional, because to be honest, I'd really like to opt out of it." _I'd rather go watch Mako's fight tonight than go to some stupid party. _

"I don't know how many times I must say this, but Korra, you are the _Avatar._ It is obligatory for you to attend all the parties and banquets that are being held in _your _honor."

"Exactly, I'm the Avatar. Shouldn't I being out there, saving people? Not attending—"

"How can you save people if you've only mastered two elements?" Tarrlok interjected sharply. "You're a half-baked Avatar, Korra."

Later that day, Mako found Tarrlok and left no room for an explanation as he shoved the older man into a wall by the collar. His lips were pursed in a feral growl, his gold eyes sparking with something much scarier than rage. "What'd you say to Korra?" he barked.

Icy blue eyes challenged the young man, as if to say '_what can you possibly do about it?'_ and a small, menacing smirk curved his lips. "I told her the truth."

The firebender's grip on the councilman's collar slackened, and he pulled back. "Well the _truth _was tactless enough to upset her," Mako replied firmly.

"Young man, sometimes, _the truth is painful._" He paused and watched for the other man's reaction. "Sometimes, it may even put others in danger."

Mako narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Tarrlok leaned in to whisper something in Mako's ear, "You know _precisely_ what I'm talking about," he goaded. "You and the Avatar, _former Triad members_.What would happen if that sort of information got out? What would happen to _her?_"

"I know for a fact that you wouldn't be the one to talk. You enjoy all the recognition for being the one that found her, don't you?"

A chuckle emerged from the waterbender's throat, amused. "There are other ways for the truth to reveal itself. For instance, the fact that a street-rat like yourself sleeps, not only in the same room, but in the _same bed _as the Avatar. If you care for Korra and want her to be respected as the Avatar, I highly advise that you stay away from her."

_Korra is the only thing that matters to him. _

_It's a simple fact that he's so dimly avoided—a fact that has proven itself inevitable. She came into his life when he'd thought he was losing all of his morals. Aside from Bolin, she's all Mako has ever known. His thoughts, his actions—they revolved around Korra and Korra alone. _

_Her greatest joys are his joys. _

_And her greatest sorrows are to be his as well._

_If he can't love her, then he'll protect her with every integrity of his being, because she's Korra—and she's all that matters._

_It's a simple fact that he's so dimly avoided. _

_He doesn't have to say anything for that fact to become their reality—because it already was._

_Mako is hers. _

_And she is his._

* * *

Gah. I had a really hard time with the ending :c I'm sorry it sucked.

I posted this earlier for my followers on my tumblr: **maximumrain3 **

You can give me suggestions, bug me to update, ask me stuff, or just talk to me ^u^ I'd like to get to know some of my readers!

**Shout out to "sarathesmall" for writing "Magic Mako". MAKO IS A STRIPPER IN THIS STORY. **Need I say more? Go read and review it! It's awesome. That is all.

Hope you enjoy the last days of summer guys! (: Love you all *blows kisses*


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